Quickstart¶
1. Install¶
pipx install lights-off
See Installation for platform-specific details.
2. Launch¶
lights-off
3. Connect your Mastodon account¶
On the first run a dialog asks for your instance URL. Type the full URL of your Mastodon server, e.g.:
https://mastodon.social
The application registers itself with your instance (no credentials stored yet) and then opens a browser window where you log in and authorise Lights Off. Copy the code from the browser back into the dialog that appears.
Your access token is saved locally. You will not be asked again unless you remove the account or the token is revoked.
See Connecting your account for a step-by-step walkthrough.
4. Navigate¶
The window has two list boxes:
- Timelines (top) — lists the feeds available for the active account (Home, Notifications, Messages, Likes, Sent, plus any user/search timelines you have opened).
- Contents (bottom) — lists the posts in the selected timeline.
Use Tab to move between the two boxes and arrow keys to move within each list. Each post is spoken as you select it.
Press F5 to refresh the current timeline.
5. Common actions¶
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New post | Ctrl+N |
| Reply | Ctrl+R |
| Boost | Ctrl+Shift+R |
| Favourite | Ctrl+L |
| Open URL in post | Ctrl+O |
| View full post | Enter |
| Refresh timeline | F5 |
| Quit | Alt+F4 |
See the full Keyboard reference for all shortcuts.